Orient Today

Cheap MP3 Juke

admin — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:25:51 +0000

Amazon is wholesale ditching a bunch of Rockford Fosgate MP3 juke boxes.

I’ve never used one but it seems like a good bet for $100.

The Big 200

admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:25:03 +0000

This post is the 200th on Carhacks. With it comes a few new developments. We upgraded to MT 3.2 today which allows for better anti-spam. Unfortunately it also means a few hurdles to jump through on commenting. I want to encourage people to comment but the spam-bots have been hitting us hard on trackbacks and comments, so only registered users can comment. It’s pretty simple to do so please don’t let a little work scare you off.

I had to put together a keyword filter for comments and trackbacks and it looks like a list of words that the FCC uses to determine if you’re worthy of a nasty fine (for those on TV or Radio. I’d publish it but its a little too blue even for this very liberal rag. I’m somewhat impressed at how many nasty terms I could come up with.

I’d like to encourage more of you to contribute links to articles / products or even your comments. Feel free to email them to me - lionel @ carhacks.org, in the comments or in the message boards.

I’m also looking for someone who knows Movable Type pretty well to help spruce up the place a little bit. I’ll offer up some ad space and some fig newtons.

Driverless Car Wins Race & $2M, Marries Paris Hilton

admin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:24:46 +0000

Stanford wins the prize for a driver-less car that crosses all sorts of crazy obstacles in the desert (old golfers, coyote & roadrunner) and walks away with $2M. Now, if I learned anything from Real Genius, the PhD in charge of the project is a puppet for the DOD and you’re really building some sort of death ray. Oh, and you get no money. I suspect that since these kids are already going to a posh school like Stanford, $2M is a mere pittance and their Bentleys are already filled up with Benjamins.

Now that DARPA has their unmanned death mobile I’m dying to know what the next “get the public to fund our research” game will be. I hope it’s something cool like a death ray. What’s a death mobile without a death ray?

Telematics Bubble Theory

admin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:24:28 +0000

Dan Dodge goes into fine detail on the dangers of adolescent telematics software and how it will be a likely target for hackers. His solution is to develop big, tough bubbles. Why didn’t I think of bubbles? Man, I’m dense sometimes.

I do see his point. Remember when people were cloning cell phones by stealing your phone ID from the side of the highway? Bluetooth also has some security issues it still needs to work out. I think a lot ofcar manufacturers are losing some sleep over the dangers of poorly written (weak security) code in mobile, mission critical systems.

From The “Why?!” File - Headlight TV

admin — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:19:43 +0000

Ok, you got me. I’m going to admit it. Some customizing stuff is just plain silly. I could go on and on about this “thing” but it truly speaks for itself. At least Popeil stuff did something useful. Sheesh.

Car Bluetooth Hacking

admin — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:19:27 +0000

The idea that I could yell at someone in front of me without having to roll down my window makes me so happy I just cried a little. Not in a weird creepy way, in a happy way. Again with that look..

Carhacks @ SEMA Nove 1-3

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:19:12 +0000

I’ll be reporting live-ish from the floor of the SEMA show bringing you all the latest dope on new hawtness. If any vendors are reading this and want me to stop by their booth, make sure to send me a note. I’ll also be giving out free Carhacks stickers to anyone at the show who recognizes me. Yes, I’m a attention whore.

California Style Math

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:17:54 +0000

How exactly do you lose 30,000 vehicles?

Motorola Birdcage 75 - No Relation To La Cage aux Folles

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:17:27 +0000

Since I’m going to be at SEMA tomorrow, I’m doing some research. Motorola will be showing off their Birdcage 75, a name I hope will make sense to me when I see the car. From a purely branding perspective, I have to wonder about how that fits. I’m expecting a big “oh, ok I get it”.

Where’s The Beef?

admin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:16:50 +0000

Some of you are wondering where the posts are. Good question! Damien Stolarz and I are at Streaming Media West doing some speaking and promoting the book we’re working on.

We should be posting a few things during our little trip but it might be here and there.

That said, we’re looking for more contributors so don’t be shy, send us links, images, articles etc. Get your name / product / site out there.